A weak August jobs report signaled hiring continues to slog along at a snail's pace, giving the Federal Reserve even more reason to enact more stimulative measures -- possibly as soon as next week.

The economy added just 96,000 jobs in August. And even though the unemployment rate dipped to 8.1% from 8.3% in July, any number above 8% is still uncomfortably high for the Fed. (Inflation, on the other hand, is MORE

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book notes that more regions of the country have started slowing recently.

The report paints a picture of a "modest to moderate" recovery in June and early July, with better news coming from the housing market in particular. But one pocket of the country including the region surrounding New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio saw economic growth slow recently, the report said.

After winning primary votes in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island on Tuesday night, Mitt Romney bid adieu to his Republican opponents and turned his attention to President Obama and the general election.

In his victory speech, Romney argued that the president's economic policies have failed, and invoked Ronald Reagan's famous query to voters: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Here's what Romney said:

As 2012 began, the United States was at a major crossroads. The economy was growing and the job market was improving. By more than a few measures, it appeared the recovery was finally gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, numerous threats still loom. Battered home values, global tensions and rising oil prices have kept consumers and businesses on the sidelines.

We've seen this all before. In the two-and-a-half years since the official end of the MORE